Folding bed



(No Modrlf) J. C. HORN 8v C. E'. HOPE'.

FOLDING BED.v

Patented May 5, 1885.

rlllllll! UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. HORN AND CARL F. HOFF, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FOLDING BED.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 317,361, dated May 5, 1885.

Application filed January 27, 1885. (No model.)

To all wiz/om, it may concern.-

Be it known that we, J oHN C. HORN and CARL F. HOPE, of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Beds; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

This invention relates more especially to folding bedsteads of that kind in which a folding body-frame is jointed at the middle and pivoted at its ends, respectively, to upright head and foot frames, which are relatively l moved together, so as to cause the body-frame to rise at the middle and fold between the two upright frames. As will be hereinafter seen, however, several of the prominent features of this invention are also applicable to other forms of folding or cabinet bedsteads in which a woven-wire mattress or fabric is stretched from end to end of the body-frame and brought and held under tension when the body-frame is in an unfolded condition, but released from such tension when the body-frame is folded up. The features to which the present improvement is directed are the devices for increasing and relaxing the tension on the woven-wire mattress or elastic fabric, the devices for steadying the sections of the body-frame at the middle joint thereof, and the devices for upholding the mattress at its middle when the centrally-jointed body-frame is folded up.

The nature of our improvements will be understood from the following description, in connection with the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of a folding bedstead having the bodyframe or side rails centrally jointed and embodying the features of our invention, the bed in this figure being shown' in an open or unfolded condition bythe full lines and partially folded by dotted lines. Fig. 2 is a horizontal detail section on the line m of Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a vertical detail section on the line y g/ of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrow.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a desirable form of pivot-plate employed 'in connection with the pivotal side rail and the tension link or hook, further described.

A and A are respectively the upright head and foot frames, which may be constructed and mounted on casters or rollers, substantially as shown, or in any other way compatible with this class of folding bedsteads.

B represents the two-part folding bodyframe, which is jointed at the `middle and pivoted near its ends to the head and footframes respectively.

B indicates a partial side rail of one part or section, and B2 the corresponding partial side rail of the other part or section, of the body-frame. The partial side rails at the side adjacent to the eye, and in a like manner the partial side rails at the opposite side of the body-frame, are hinged together at their inner or contiguous ends. This is preferably done by a connecting-piece, C, pivotally connected at or near its upper corners with the side rails, and constructed to depend from the joint thus formed, so as to provide a temporary leg when the bed is extended for use. l The meeting ends of the side rails are also geared together by two gear-segments, I), each secured to one of the two partial rails. These gear-segments, instead of being exposed, as heretofore, are set or secured in kerfs or mortises b formed in the'jlower corners of the rails, in which way the gear-segments can be firmly embedded in the rails and concealed from ordinary view, thereby securing the segment-gears against accidental lateral displacement or detachment.

E and E are the pivots by which the side rails of the sectional body-frame are respectively supported from the head and foot frames, it being understood that these pivots are duplicated at the opposite side of the body-frame, so as to support the latter in a similar man ner from both sides at points near its extremities.

F represents a woven-wire mattress or other iiexible andlongitudinally-elasticfabric,which is held at one end by a cross-bar or end rail, G', and at its opposite end is attached to a crossbar, G, having a movement longitudinally of the body of the bed. This movement of the bar G is appropriately provided by placing its ends in longitudinal slots in the side rails, and said movable cross-bar is preferably lo-V cated at the headrend of the bed.

H represents one of two hooks or links, which are respectively pivoted at and to the opposite side walls, a, of the upright headframe at points eccentric to the adjacent pivots E, on which the side rails turn, and nearer the head-board. Each hook or link H is adapted to pivotally engage a stud or pin, G2, projecting from the adjacent end of the movable rail G.

The pivot H', by which the hook is attached to the side piece of thehead-frame, is', for sake of convenience and stability, made rigid with a base-plate, H2, to which also a suitable stud is att-ached to form the pivot E, as shown in Fig. 4. The pivots E and H lie in or substantially in one and the same horizontal plane, and the pivots H for the hooks being situated nearest the head-board or beyond or in rear of the pivots E, which sustain the head end of the body-frame. Vhen the said body-frame is unfolded and brought into a horizontalpd sition, the ends of the hooks engaged with the ends of the movable end rail G will be forced away from the pivots E, thereby carrying the said end rail G outward and extending the fabric F. O11 the other hand, when the bed is folded, as indicated in dotted lines of Figs. 1 and 3, the pivotal points E and G2 will appreach, and the end rail G will be drawn inwardly within its guiding-slots B2, and there` by relax the fabric.

In Figs. 1 and 3 the full lines illustrate the position of the bar G relatively to the pivots E when the bed-frame is unfolded and the the mattress is under tension, and the dotted lines show the retracted position of said end rail when the bed-frame is folded.

The links H, when of hook form, as shown, are each desirably constructed with a fiat and approximately triangularshaped arm,h,forni ing an upwardly-proj ecting handle extending u slightly above the side rail of the body-frame when the bed is extended, so that the hook can be readily swung up independently of the body-frame and disengaged from the end rail G e e To prevent accidental detachment of the hook from the rail or bar G, the body of the hook is provided with an aperture, h', within which a pin or screw, projects from the side rail, serving as a stop. To disconnect the hook from the end rail this pin will be removed.

I I are long straight springs having their free ends adjacent to each other near the joint of the side rails. Said springs are preferably of wood, and arranged below the mattressand adjacent to the side rails, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. The said springs are secured at or near their outer ends to fixed cross-bars K, near the head and foot ends of the body-frame, rigidly with the sides or longitudinal rail-sections thereof. rllhe springs are preferably parallel with the plane of the mattress when the bed is in an unfolded condition, and are eX* tended toward the middle of the bed, so that their ends shall terminate at points near the joint of the body-franie- The inner and free ends of the springs are provided with short. T-heads, so as to prevent injury to thc mattress when the latter may rest on the springs.

Vhen the bed-frame is extended or unfolded, the mattress will be above and clear of these springs; but when the bed-frame is being folded the free ends of said springs will rise into contact with the mattress, and will lift` and support the central portion of the same, so that the said mattress and the clothing thereon will be carried and sustained between the side rails, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l. The springs I being yielding, they will permit the bed clothing to be compressed when the frameis folded, and will also settle under excessive pressure upon the mattress when the bed is in use. By preference, one or more blocks, L, are supported on the rear end of the springs at the head end of the bed-frame, so

as to afford an additional rest for the movable rail G, and a backing for the spring at this end in opposition to the weight on the free end of the spring when the mattress rests thereon, as in dotted lines in Fig. 1. For the same purpose a bar or block, L, is provided at the rear end of the other springs, the block in this instance being arranged between the rear or tail end of the springs and a cross-bar,

. N, which is secured to the side rails, B2, and

provided as a bearing for bolts a, by which the moving cross-bar or end rail G is firmly and adj ustably held in position. This feature of an adjustable rail, G', held as described, is not herein claimed as new; nor is the attachnient of the fabric centrally of the end rails. The latter construction is claimed in another pending application for patent filed by us October 15, 1884, and having the Serial No. 144,551.

IVe claim- 1. The combination of upright head and foot frames, a centrally and upwardly folding body-frame pivoted at its ends to the uprights, and provided with an end rail supported mcv ably in a direction longitudinal of the bodyframe, a iieXible fabric attached at one end to said movable end rail and at the other to the opposite end of the body-frame, and a link connected with each end of the said movable end rail, and pivoted to the upright at a point eccentric to the adjacent axis of the bodyframe, whereby the fabric is strained when the bed is extended and relaxed when the bed is folded, substantially as described.

2. The combination, with the head and foot frames, a centrally and upwardly foldingbody frame pivoted at its ends to said uprights, and provided with a movable end rail at one end beyond the adjacent axis of the said bodyframe, and a ileXible fabric attached at one end to said movable rail and at the other to IOC) the opposite end of the body-frame, of links l or pivoted connecting-piece which holds the constructed in the form of hooks to engage with the ends of the movable rail, and pivoted to the sides of the upright at points eccentric to the adjacent axis of the body-frame, whereby the said links may be detachably engaged, substantially as described.

8. The combination, with the uprights, the jointed side rails pivoted to the uprights, and the movable end rail for attachment of the fabric, of the hook-formed links H, located and pivoted as described, and provided with upwardly extended arms h, whereby said hooks may be conveniently reached for the purpose of enga-ging and disengaging them, substantially as described.

4. The combination, with the upright, the jointed body-frame provided with a movable end rail and flexible fabric, and hook-formed links eccentricallypivoted to the upright and adapted to engage the movableend rail, of removable stops arranged to retain the hooks in engagement with the end rail, while allowing a swinging movement of the hooks, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the centrallyjointed side rails of a folding bed, and a-link sections of each side rail together, of opposing toothed segments let into kerfs in the meeting ends of the side-rail sections, substantially as described.

6. The combination, with the centrally and upwardly folding body-frame, of one or more springs, I, arranged longitudinally of the bed and having their free ends arranged to terminate at or near the middle of the said frame, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

7. The combination, with the centrallyjointed and upwardly-folding body-frame, of four springs, I, approximately secured below the level of the extended bed fabric, and arranged near the side rails, with their free ends terminating short of the central joint of the body-frame, substantially as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our invention we affix our signatures in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN C. HORN. CARL F. HOPF.

Witnesses:

OLIVER E. PAGIN, C. CLARENCE PooLE. 

